Apparatus for the manufacture of sheets of pulp.



D. M. SUTHERLAND da D. M. SUTHERLAND, Jn. APPARATUS F011 THE MANUFAGTURB0F SHEETS or PULP. APPLICATION FILED OUT-19,1908.

971,936, Patented 001;.4, 1910.

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D. M. SUTHERLAND & D. M. SUTHERLAND, JE. APPARATUS Hm THB MANUFAGTURE 0FSHEETS or PULP.

APPLICATION FILED OUT-19, 1908. l 971,936, Patented Oct.4, 1910.

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INVENTORS WITN'ESSES S Jaw far/Md 'fmgmww UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l DANIEL MANSON SUTHERLAND AND DANIEL MANSON SUTHERLAND, JR., OF SUNBURYCOMMUN, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEETS F PULP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1908.

Patented Oct. 4, 1910.

Serial No. 458,371.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL MANsoN SU'rnnuLANn and DANIEL MANsoNSU'ri-IER- LAND, Jr., both subjects of the King of Great Britain,residing, respectively, at

Ashgrove, Sunbury Common, in the county of Middlesex, England, managingdirector, and St. Helens, Nursery Road, Sunbury Common aforesaid,assistant manager', have jointly invented ce1-tain new and usefulApparatus for the h/[anufactl'lre of Sheets of Pulp, rood-Pulp, or theLike, of which the following is a specification.

Thick, large sheets of paper pulp, wood pulp or the like, are made byruiming the pulp into a mold consisting of a lower frame holding a sheetof wire gauze or the like forming the bottom of the mold, an upper frameholding a similar sheet constituting the top of the mold and a frame orseparate boards constituting the sides of the mold and called a deckle.The pulp having been filled into the mold the upper frame is laid inplace and pressed to expel the liquid from the pulp. The bulk of theliquid passes through the bottom of the mold, but some always passesupward through the top and before the top frame can be removed for theurpose of removing the sheet the whole mold must be tipped in order todrain away this water. The mold is then laid horizontally, the top frameand the deckle are removed and the bottom frame is turned over andallowed to fall on to the trolley or the like that is to receive thesheet in order that the latter may be detached from the wire cloth.These manipulations are laborious and occupy time and the shock of thefall damages both the frame and the sheet. In another mode ofmanufacturing articles from wood pulp, while pressure is applied to themold, a vacuum is made above the top of the upper mold frame andmaintained so as to cause the article to adhere to that frame when theupper and -lower frames are taken apart, then, when it is desired todetach the article, the vacuum is destroyed and the article by means ofcompressed air is blown off the frame on to a device locatedbelow theupper frame and adapted to remove the article from between the twoframes. Now according to the present invention, while the vacuum ismaintained above the top frame, this frame together with an adheringsheet of pulp is moved in a direction laterally to that of the pressure;in other words from above the lower frame, until it is exterior to themolding apparatus and is brought to a desired position, it may be over atrolley or the like, the vacuum is destroyed in order to allow the sheetto fall upon the bed by its own weight and through a distance as smallas may be desired. With suitable arrangements the suction applied abovethe top of the mold may servo to remove the portion of liquid which, asaforesaid, is expelled upward. Preferably, the mold is placed in apress, the A lower table of which can be raised or lowered such as byhydraulic power. The upper frame of the mold is fitted to a suction boxarranged to drain or suck away water and air. The upper frame togetherwith its suction box may be mounted on wheels running on rails to permitthe prepared sheet, after the lower frame has been lowered, to beconveyed to the required position over the trolley or the like. Thecombination of the pressure on the lower frame and suction on the upperaccelerates the extraction of the liquid from the pulp and makes abetter sheet, in addition to facilitating the couching of the sheet asaforesaid.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of theapparatus for applying the invention, showing the upper frame andsuction box in position vertically over the lower fra-me; Fig. 2 is asimilar view showing the upper frame and suction box shifted laterallyfrom the position in Fim 1 to a position over the conveyer or trolley;and Fig. 3 is one section on the line III-III of Fig. 1, having certainparts removed.

A is the platen, and B the head of a hydraulic press P.

C is the bottom frame of the mold and D is the deckle.

E is the top frame of the mold and is at,- tached to the suction box F.

H is a main suitably connected with a suitable exhaust pump H', for'instance by a svviveling swing pipe H2 and H3 provided with a stop cockH4.

Branch ducts on pipes L from this main extend into the suction box andfrom this branch other branches or ducts M extend downward to the wiregauze of the top frame.

Fig. 2 shows the suction box F, suitably mounted on wheels and adaptedto be shifted laterally along rails O suitably carried by the press Pand supported on supports Q, not here shown, to a place exterior to thepress it may be above the trolley J where the vacuum in box F isdestroyed, and the sheet G allowed to fall upon the previously madesheets K.

By suitably connecting the main H with a supply of compressed air duringthe period when pressure is being applied to the mold, the pressureWithin the suction box may be suitably increased to revent any waterfrom entering the box. ne way of connecting the main with the compressedair source is shown in Fig. 1 where the pump H5 is connected to theswing pipe H2 by means of pipe I-IG having a stop cock H7.

I-Iaving thus described the nature of this invention and t-he best meanswe know of carrying the same into practical effect, we claim l. Inapparatus for the manufacture of thick large sheets of paper pulp, woodpulp or the like, the combination of a press, a lower mold part adaptedto contain pulp and fitted to the press, a movable upper mold part'detached from the press normally mounted above the lower mold part andadapted to cooperate therewith, a suction box attached to the upper moldpart, means for pressing said mold parts together to form a sheet, andmeans whereby the upper mold part, the sheet and the suction box may bemoved from above the lower mold part to a position external to thepress.

2. In apparatus for the manufacture of thick large sheets of paper pulp,Y:wood pulp or the like, the combination of a press, a lower mold partadapted to contain pulp and fitted to the press, a movable upper moldpart detached from the press normally mounted above the lower mold partand adapted to coperate therewith, a suction box attached to the upperlmold part, a series of ducts in the suction box communieating with anexhausting device and the upper mold part, means for pressing said moldparts together to form a sheet, and means whereby the sheet and theupper mold part may be moved from above the lower mold part to aposition external tothe press.

3. In apparatus for the manufacture of thick large sheets of paper pulp,wood pulp or the like the combination of a press, a lower mo-ld partadapted to contain pulp and fitted to the press, a movable upper moldpart detached from the press normally mounted above the lower mold partand adapted to cooperate therewith, a suction box attached to the uppermold part, a

series of ducts in the suction box communieating with the suction box,with an exhausting device, and with a source of compressed air, meansfor pressing said mold parts together to form a sheet, and means forremoving both the sheet from between the'said mold parts and the uppermold parts to a position external to the press.

4. In apparatus for the manufacture of thick large sheets of paper pulp,wood pulp or the like, the combination of a press, a track fixed to,located within and projecting externally and laterally of the press, alower mold part containing pulp and fitted' to the press, an upper moldpart movably mounted on the track and adapted to cooperate with thelower mold part, a suction box attached to the upper mold part, meansfor pressing said mold parts ltogether to form a sheet, and means forremoving said sheet from between the mold parts to a position exteriorto the press.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL MANSON SUTHERLAND. DANIEL MANSON SUTHERLAND, JR.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH VILLARD, WV. I. SKERTEN

